Nammu is not just a passive body of water but an active and nurturing force. She is credited with giving birth to key deities such as An (the sky god), Ki (the earth goddess), and Enki.
Nammu’s role extends to the creation of mankind in the myth Enki and Ninmah, where she initiates the creation process by waking her son Enki to relieve the gods of their burdens by creating humans.
Worship and symbolism
Nammu was the embodiment of the salt water, who has made an appearance in multiple Mesopotamian creation stories. The creation of life starts with her “mixing her water” with the water of Abzu. Later on, she fades into other beings as Enki and Ninhursag take over many of her roles in the Mesopotamian pantheon.
In Babylonia, she was known as Tiamat. In the Enuma Elish, she decides to make war on her offspring. She is not just the mother goddess for the gods, but she is also the mother of many monsters. These are the beings that she created to wage war on her children.
Myths in which she features
- The Creation of Humans: he proposes the idea of creating humans to relieve the gods of their labor, and with the help of her son Enki, she forms the first humans from clay.